Try a mini-practice. Try devoting short sessions of 15 or 20 minutes to your practice. Even if you do this every day or with just one or two days off a week, the risk of overuse from postures would be relatively low. And it’s a great way for beginners to get into it, he adds.

Listen to your body. Make sure you’re not ignoring very clear signals from your body. If it feels like you’re really straining, your muscles are shaking dramatically, or you can’t maintain good alignment, you should come out of the pose for a few moments. You can always get into the pose again if [the class is] holding it for a little longer.

Explore less physically intense forms of yoga. If you often do a lot of power or hot yoga, Bar suggests trying a restorative yoga class or a yin yoga class, during which you’ll hold poses longer. The names of some of the classes can be a little elaborate, so you may want to inquire with the studio or the teacher if you’re not sure what the class will entail.

If you are practicing a physically demanding form of yoga, take days off. If your practice is focused on a goal such as building strength or becoming more flexible, consider giving yourself a day of rest in between classes. By giving your muscles a little bit of time to repair, you can actually build more strength.

Start to explore the philosophies of yoga. Diving into some of the underlying philosophies, including concepts such as nonviolence, could be enlightening. There’s more to the practice than just pushing yourself physically, and exploring those other areas can help you not overdo it. Try to find ways to be more generous and gentler with yourself.

Consider taking a private or small group session with a yoga therapist. They can help give you adjustments and guide you into starting a practice and how to increase the intensity safely. You may even be able to get yoga therapy billed through your physical therapist with a proper prescription for rehabilitation from your doctor.